Vicolo di Mazzamurelli

Rom · Italy · Alley

The alley is named after its ghosts: mazzamurelli, small monk-robed sprites with golden curls who hide things and laugh about it.

In Trastevere there is an alley that carries the house-spirits' own name. Mazzamurello means roughly the one who beats on the wall, and Romans described them as small creatures dressed like little monks, with curly golden hair and faces you never quite manage to see. They knock from inside the walls, pull the covers off sleepers, hide keys and coins and laugh while you search. They were not thought dangerous, but they were persistent: families set out a bowl of wine or a plate of bread in the kitchen to appease them, and anyone who insulted them had their crockery smashed. Residents still blame the mazzamurelli, half-joking, when something goes missing — and everyone knows why the street is called what it is.

FAQ

Where is Vicolo di Mazzamurelli located?

Vicolo di Mazzamurelli is in Rom, Italy.